Neighbors say Summerlin man a threat; mom agrees he needs help
A Summerlin man with apparent mental health issues has spurred at least three police calls to his home in three years, each ending with a lengthy standoff, authorities say. Now, anxious neighbors are stepping in.
By Thursday evening, a change.org petition to get the man, 36-year-old Michael Spangenthal, “permanent and immediate help” had generated 80 signatures. The cause has garnered 150-plus comments on Nextdoor, a neighborhood social network, a mix mostly of concern for public safety and sympathy for him and his mother.
The petition’s creator, Fatima Duncan, wrote that four years ago she moved next to Spangenthal, who lives in the 11050 block of Piedmont Valley Avenue just southwest of Arbors Tennis & Play Park in northwest Las Vegas. Duncan wrote there have been four SWAT team visits and school lockdowns over that time, which has left her 16-year-old daughter traumatized.
“He is a threat to the community, we can’t live in fear because the system is failing to protect us,” she wrote. “We don’t want this turning into a tragedy.”
Duncan, who wrote on Nextdoor that Spangenthal is set to be released from jail Sept. 26, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
But through her comments on the petition and Nextdoor, it appears she is seeking to alert the district attorney and a judge of neighbors’ concerns in addition to seeking help for Spangenthal and his mother, who Duncan claimed was also “going around asking for help.”
When reached by phone Thursday, Spangenthal’s mother, Nora Hernandez, said that her son was in jail and does indeed need help. It was unclear, however, if she was aware of the petition.
Spangenthal’s aunt, Juditha Manangan, said his marijuana use makes his condition worse and when he is not using it, his behavior is “on and off.”
“He should be treated, should be under a psychiatrist,” she said, agreeing that he suffers from mental health issues.
On Aug. 28, he was arrested on suspicion of burglary and indecent exposure, Metropolitan Police Department booking logs show, following an hourlong standoff in which he allegedly was naked and throwing rocks in the street. Metro later confirmed the man was Spangenthal.
In September 2017, he was arrested after police said he was naked, found masturbating outside of his home and threw a knife. A year earlier, Metro arrested him after he barricaded himself inside the same home and threw objects at police.
“When he was young, he (was) very good,” Manangan said. “We are lost.”
Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.
